A covenant marriage is a holy union before God.
What is a Covenant Marriage?
Back in the time of Jesus when a young man wanted to marry, he and his father would go to the house of the young woman he desired. They would sit together with the father of the young woman and begin to negotiate the price for the bride.
Once the bride price was agreed upon, the young man’s father would pour a cup of wine and hand it to his son. The son would take the cup and hold it out to the young woman and say to her ‘this cup I offer to you.’ In other words “I love you and I offer you my life”.
At that point, the young woman would have a moment to decide whether to accept the cup or not. Certainly, if she did not love the young man, she would not accept the cup. By accepting the cup, lifting it to her mouth and drinking from the cup, she said these words, “I accept your life and I give you mine.” Choosing to drink from the cup, the two enter into a covenant with each other; a promise to faithfully give their life to each other.
It is in this context Christ offered the cup of salvation to his disciples during the Passover. At his last supper after blessing the cup, he said, ‘with this cup I make a new covenant’ and ‘remember me’. Christ offering the cup meant I love you, will you marry me spiritually. Drinking from the cup was a statement that the disciples accepted his love and represented a pledge to give their lives to Christ. Thus, each time we take communion it is a personal reminder of the depth of our covenant responsibility to abide in the love of Christ. (Ray Vander Laan, Faith Lessons Discovery Guides, Zondervan 2008)
Covenant love is a binding commitment, a promise to be tender, faithful, and to care for each other. This promise, which is at the heart of marriage, says, no matter what happens in life, I will be there for you. It is the promise that makes the marriage. The essence of marriage is this promise. It provides an oasis of certainty in an unpredictable world.
A contract makes no such promise. A contract is conditional. The attitude of a contract tends to limit liability or to gain maximum profits. It is designed with self in mind. For example I will do this for you, if you do that for me. I will work for you if you pay me. A contract has a start date, an end date and can be terminated at anytime.
John 10 tells a parable of a good shepherd who would give his life for the sheep he is responsible for. Hired hands don’t have the same sentiment. The motives and attitude of a hired hand is selfish. He doesn’t own the sheep; so if one strays or is eaten by a wolf – it doesn’t really concern the hired hand. The shepherd who was hired to watch the sheep will do it as long as he gets paid and as long as there’s no danger to him.
David had a shepherds heart who demonstrated his commitment to protect and guard his sheep from the dangers of the world and he understood the source of his strength when he wrote the “Lord is my shepherd I shall not want”. (Psalm 23) A true shepherd would give his life to guard and protect his sheep. Christ sacrifice his life to seal the covenant he made with us. In a covenant relationship the parties make the cause of the other their own cause; the goals and desires of the person with whom I am covenanting become my own.
In the book of Ruth, Naomi is widowed in a foreign land. Ruth her Moabite daughter-in-law vows to stay with her as she (Naomi) journeys back to her home land in Isreal, and vows to remain with her until her dying days. Ruth didn’t really need Naomi. But because she loved her, because she did not want Naomi to be alone, Naomi’s cause became Ruth’s cause. As the story unfolds, you will find that Ruth keeps her covenant with her mother in law and because of Ruth’s faithfulness she is rewarded.
A covenant is a solemn and binding relationship which is meant to last a life time. It involves a promise and commitments. The Bible describes marriage as a spiritual covenant that is just as binding, and just as sacred, as the covenant that God has made with His people. (Jeremiah 31: 31-32)
In fact, we find that when God describes the relationship between Himself and His people He speaks of the husband and wife relationship. In the New Testament the blessed relationship between Christ and the church is described by the covenant relationship of the husband and the wife. (Ephesians 5:22). A covenant marriage is a holy union before God.
The bible begins with the covenant marriage of Adam and Eve and ends with marriage of Christ and the Church. God takes marriage seriously. A contractual perspective in marriage lacks faith. Malachi 2:16 says ‘So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith.
God gave us a mate, and a book called the Bible to assist us and explain how to assemble a dynamic and loving relationship. There is no need for your marriage to be hopeless, a disappointing part of your life. Turn to the Creator's guidelines. He invented marriage in all its glory in every aspect. It is intended to be a joyful union leaving no cause unmet. Place God our Father in the center of your marriage. Be a student and learn more of His words, precepts and laws for yourself. (Psalm 119)
Let us teach our children God’s will for marriage; the importance of being faithful and obedient. Set an example for our children and for the world by following God’s plan for marriage. Decide today to have a covenant marriage. We look forward to hearing your testimony of faith. Welcome to your blog post. Use this space to connect with your readers and potential customers in a way that’s current and interesting. Think of it as an ongoing conversation where you can share updates about business, trends, news, and more.
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